August 30, 2007

San Jose resident wins two national cycling titles

Places third at Master’s World Cycling Championships in Austria

By Christina Brown
Times Intern

It’s really “not about the bike,” though he does have a yet-to-be-released prototype from a Morgan Hill company.
Yes, according to team sponsorship manager Dan Turner, what Michael Hutchinson possesses that has led him to win several national titles this year is “an amazing ability to suffer, as one must in bike racing.”

Hutchinson has just retuned home from the Master’s World Cycling Championships in St. Johann, Austria, where he captured third in the 12.8-mile time trial, besting 104 other racers from around the world.

Michael Hutchinson has raced with Team Spine, a northern California cycling team, since it began five years ago, and has won countless regional and state titles with them. Photo courtesy Team Spine

A month before that win, at the USA Cycling National Festival in Somerset, Penn., Hutchinson won first place in both the time trial and criterium races and second on the road race course in the men’s age 40-44 category.

The time trial, “the race of truth,” is simply going as fast as you can for the distance—about 15 miles in this case, which Hutchinson completed in just over 30 minutes, winning by a margin of 9 seconds. Winning this race was his personal goal for this season.

The next race, the criterium, was a surprise win for Hutchinson because it is only a mile long—a sprinter’s race—and not his specialty. Then, because he placed second in the road race a few days later, a 70-mile hilly course, and his strength, Hutchison received the prestigious Best All-Around Rider title at the festival.

Hutchinson has raced with Team Spine, a northern California road cycling team, since its inception five years ago. The team has 41 racers, ranging from junior racers to eight members over age 45. They compete most weekends during the cycling season, which is February through October, all over the country.

Cycling is a team sport, and Turner who helps manage the team spoke of all Hutchinson brings to Team Spine. “Michael is not just a solo rider,” he said. “He’s a great and supportive teammate on and off the bike and has often led the way, helping his teammates bring home the win.”

The team was thrilled to have Hutchinson do so well. Though he was a favorite in a few of the national events, “it’s still great to see someone who is so generous and open coming out on top,” Turner said.

Cycling has been part of Hutchinson’s life since “just after learning to walk,” according to his biography of the Team Spine Web site, and he has been racing for quite some time, as well. In 1988, he even competed at the Olympic Trials in the road race and time-trial events.

After an 11-year break, he began competing again when he moved to the Bay Area and has won many state championships titles in these last years competing. This summer’s success however has been momentous.

In order to prepare for his 50-some professional and masters level races each year, he rides 200 to 300 miles each week, nine months of the year often in the Santa Teresa area with his training partner Phillippe Azoulay.

“We at Team Spine,” Turner said, “stress being sportsmanlike but fierce competitors.” It is clear Hutchinson has both aspects down to a tee.